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NASCAR: Brad Keselowski signs contract extension with Penske Racing

November 30, 2011

Brad Keselowski has signed a contract extension with Penske Racing. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Penske Racing on Thursday announced that both driver Brad Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe have agreed to multiyear contract extensions to remain with the team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Keselowski and Wolfe will continue to lead the No. 2 team in 2012 and beyond. Neither Penske, Keselowski nor Wolfe revealed details of the contracts.

"The winning combination of Brad Keselowski and Paul Wolfe has been terrific for Penske Racing and we are excited to announce that they will continue to work together," said team owner Roger Penske. "With one NASCAR championship and numerous wins in both the Nationwide Series and the Cup Series to their credit, this has proven to be a special pairing. Although Brad, Paul and the No. 2 team fell short of winning the Cup Series title this season, we know they will continue to be championship contenders for years to come."

In their first season of working together in 2010, Keselowski and Wolfe produced six wins and five poles on their way to winning the Nationwide Series championship. That team also established a new series single-season record with 26 top-five finishes and completed all but one lap of competition throughout the 2010 season.

Wolfe was named crew chief of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team prior to the start of the 2011 Cup season and the success continued with Keselowski in his first season behind the wheel of the "Blue Deuce." The team recorded three victories and one pole position in 2011 as it qualified for Chase for the Championship and finished fifth in the final Cup Series standings. Over the course of the last two seasons, Keselowski and Wolfe have worked together to produce nine wins, six poles, 36 top-five finishes and one NASCAR Nationwide title.

"It's great to know that Paul and I will continue to work together to bring wins and championships to Penske Racing and its sponsors," said Keselowski, the native of Rochester Hills, Mich., who first joined Penske Racing for the final three races of the 2009 season. "We've definitely built something special here with this team and we'll continue to get better to reach our goals. I'm already fired up about 2012 and the future with the 'Blue Deuce.'"

A former driver who accumulated six top-20 finishes in 16 career Nationwide starts, Wolfe first became a crew chief in 2006 with Fitz Racing. He moved on to CJM Racing in 2009 before he joined Penske Racing as crew chief of the No. 22 Nationwide Series team in November 2009.

"We have enjoyed tremendous success at Penske Racing and I'm really looking forward to building on the legacy of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team," Wolfe said. "It's been a great experience working with Brad--we just seemed to click right away--and we will continue to build on the consistency and success we've experienced with the team. We're already working hard to get ready for another run at the championship next season."